Chelsea gives Jose Mourinho vote of confidence following latest defeat
Chelsea has publicly put its support behind manager Jose Mourinho and his squad following the club's fourth defeat in the Premier League.
The team released a statement Monday to clear the air regarding the Portuguese manager's role at the club and dispel speculation that his job was in danger, despite Chelsea's 3-1 loss to Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
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The club wants to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support.
As Jose has said himself, results have not been good enough and the team's performances must improve. However, we believe that we have the right manager to turn this season around and that he has the squad with which to do it.
The announcement is an unprecedented move by owner Roman Abramovich, who has historically been quick to fire managers after similar runs of poor results. The club has never issued such a statement since the Russian took over in 2003.
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The vote of confidence comes after Mourinho and the Chelsea board reportedly met to discuss the team's latest blunder, according to Sky Sports, which leaves the Blues in the lower half of the table with eight points through eight matches.
The report suggested that the meeting between Mourinho and the board was not an uncommon occurrence, regardless of the result of Saturday's fixture.
Mourinho will have an opportunity to turn his team's season around on Oct. 17, when Chelsea hosts Aston Villa.